Cleveland man Bennie Veasey gets 20 years for human trafficking

TOWSON, Md. - An Ohio man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Maryland on human trafficking and prostitution charges.

Thirty-five-year-old Bennie Veasey of Cleveland was sentenced Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court. He was convicted by a jury in July.

County prosecutors say Veasey lured a 19-year-old woman from Ohio into a prostitution ring and that she was coerced by Veasey to act as a prostitute and hand over her earnings to him. Prosecutors say Veasey was using the money to pay off lawyer's fees stemming from a rape charge in Cleveland.

The woman was recovered during a sting operation conducted by Baltimore County police.

Veasey's attorney did not immediately return messages.

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